Run
by KathBell
Summary: Post-ep for 7x08. Alex's weekend away and the long-lasting aftermath of it.
1. Run

**A/N: The latest episode made me start to like Grey's Anatomy again. I won't be updating 'What we've become' for a while, though, major writers block with that one, plus this was just screaming at me to write it (literally, I had someone screaming at me over MSN to write :P). Feedback and comments are always appriciated!  
Disclaimer: Own nothing.  
Pairings: All that fit the time frame.  
Episode: 7x08. Spoilers for season 7 and six, and a few for other points in the rest of the seasons.  
Summary: Episode tag for 7x08, Alex's weekend away.  
Warnings: Mental illness, swearing, violence. **

"A-Alex?" He heard the fear in his sisters voice and decided that this was one phone call that he shouldn't have in public.

"Amber, you okay?" He quickly got out of the bar. He and Amber weren't close, they had barely spoken in the last seven years. Sure, after he had been shot she had called – so had Aaron – but they weren't close enough to warrant this fear-filled phone call. "Amber?" He demanded, fear and worry slowly creeping into his voice. His sister was crying (and that usually made him want to go kill someone – namely the guy that made her cry) and she was on the verge of having a panic attack. Aaron wasn't there – also another reason for concern – and she was probably being left alone with his mother – something no one her age should have to do when his mother was off her meds.

"H-He tried to kill me,-" What? Alex nearly dropped the phone and he had to grab onto the wall to stop himself from collapsing into a heap.

"Amber, are you okay? Are you hurt?" He was already planning on racing down to Iowa and killing (or at least, seriously injuring) the guy that had hurt his sister. "Where are you?" He asked after she stayed silent for a few seconds. For all he knew, she could be in Seattle (it did explain why she was calling him and not Aaron).

"I'm okay, but I need you Alex. Aaron.. He t-tried to kill me." This new information rendered Alex speechless. What the fuck? No. Not Aaron – his brother would never try to kill anyone, let alone his sister. "A-Alex? The doctors are c-checking him now, but I.. I know." And so did he. It was the same freaking story all over again. Just when he'd managed to get the crazy out of his life. Normal. Ha. He'd learnt to accept that he never have a normal life, but this had taken it to a brand new extreme.

"I'm coming down. You stay at the hospital, understand. Get checked over." He heard the beginnings of an interruption already. Hell no. His sister and him seemed to be the only sane people in his family left, and he was making sure she got checked over. "Please."

**Light up, light up **

"Where'd Karev go?" Jackson asked, only just noticing the missing man. April shrugged, and Meredith seemed to be in a form of shock. He had just told her the news about Cristina quitting and she had obviously taken it quite hard. Joe had given her a bottle of tequila and shot her a knowing look (that sent a lot of flags up – Meredith had been here way too many times). However, she had noticed Alex bolting.

"He's fine." She lied. Alex and her were alike in many ways – Dark and Twisty being just one of them – and she knew that he would hate people gossiping behind his back. "He's just taking a call."

Because that was partially true, right?

**As if you have a choice,  
**

It was early the next morning when he arrived at the familiar hospital. He was exhausted. He had spent the day (and part of the previous night) working at the hospital, and he hadn't slept or ate since. He was pretty sure that the only thing keeping him awake was the adrenaline. "Alex!" He froze at the voice. Sure, he had spoke to her recently, but he hadn't seen her in years, and the sixteen year old racing towards him was definitely not the 11 year old who was just learning to answer back that he had been expecting.

Exhaustion does strange things to him.

"Alex?" She questioned, stopping in front of him with an almost visible look of fear passing over her face. While on the phone to her before, he had said 'please'. In the eleven years she had spent with her brother, and in their conversations over the past few months, she had never once heard him say please to anyone other than her mother – and that was only to get her to take her pills. He seemed to shake out of his trance when she shook his shoulder, her manicured nails digging into his skin slightly. Alex blinked a few times, looking over his sister. He was tempted to ask her what had she done with the rest of her outfit – because what she was wearing now was anything but suitable – but he decided against it. Not the best thing to say.

"Amber, are you-" He didn't have to finish. She was shaking, vicious tremors attacking her. There were a few cuts on her arm, and a larger one on her head. He had to ask himself why they hadn't been stitched up, then he remembered that he was in Iowa and not Seattle – you had to have a part of your body missing to get attention from these dicks. Their eyes met, and he could see the tears that she was fighting. His brotherly instinct took over, even if it had been years it was still there, and he pulled her into his arms. She didn't move much, merely buried her head in his shoulder and let the tears escape.

**Even if you cannot hear my voice,  
I'll be right beside you dear.**


	2. Poison

_**A/N: This is set just after the MerAlex conversation (because you just have to love that part!) Sorry for not updating, I had this all written out and then my laptop went and deleted it. I ended up writing this from memory in the end :P Thank you so much for the reviews! :D  
Disclaimer: Own nothing. **_

**There was something they said to you  
I've thought about it everyday since you're gone **

"She wants to come and live here." Alex nearly choked on his own words. This wasn't him. He wasn't the guy who told people how he was feeling, what his life was _really _like, what he had been forced to deal with his entire life. He was finding it hard to believe that he had told Meredith about his brother, and now this? He shouldn't be telling her about this because, well, he was Alex Karev. Years ago she had been the one pushing him up against a locker (with an extremely surprising amount of strength) and threatening to kill him with her tiny – yet strong and painful – fists. Somehow, over the years, they had become close – but he shouldn't be burdening her with this. She'd just go away – like everyone else. "She didn't say it directly, but... What sort of brother would I be if I left her with that?" Meredith didn't answer for a while, she just looked at him sympathetically.

"But you want her here?" She asked, breaking the ice-like silence and pulling Alex out of his thoughts.

He nodded slowly. She barely noticed it. "But... With my job, the hours we work-" He stopped suddenly. "What should I do?" There was a silent 'What would you do?' in that question. She wasn't sure, but she knew why he was asking her. She had sisters – half-sisters technically, – and she'd do anything for them. Now. Back then, when she found out that they existed? Nope.

"She could have the spare room. I mean, there is one.. somewhere. She's sixteen right? There's a school down the road from the hospital, and she'd love our cafeteria." She paused, looking at him to see what his reaction would be.

There wasn't much of one. However, she did see a small flicker of hope on his face. "Anyway, I think in a few months Lexie will be living with Mark." There was a smile that time, and a small chuckle. "It must be a Grey trait, we never do things the easy way when it comes to guys."

**And I hate what they gave to you  
But a little bit of poison still makes you strong **

Amber dreaded school. The entire neighbourhood (and anyone else who drove past her house) had seen her brother being taken off to a 'nut-house', her being treated by the paramedics – and her mother. School would suck, and she knew it. She wanted to go to Seattle, it was the one thing that she was praying for (not that she believed in God after everything 'He' had put her family through) and so far – nothing.

So much had changed in the last week. Before the 'crazy brother' incident, she had loved school. Knowing that her brother was with her mum – therefore she needn't worry about pills or medicine – was relieving, and school had been the only place that she could escape from the crazy. It was probably why Alex had never visited. Seattle was his 'school', his safe place, his not-completely-crazy place. His safe place had been near-destroyed – just like hers had been a few days ago -

**And you're a little bit more than they ever did see **

Derek had nearly laughed at the idea when she told him, then he realised she was being serious. However – he did not say no, he didn't tell her that there wasn't enough room. He just asked her if he was going to have to help with the decorating. Lexie had smiled, knowing that it would be awkward – living in the same house as your ex-boyfriend and his sister couldn't be anything but. April and Jackson had smiled – they hadn't even known about Alex's sister, or his parent, and in complete honesty, neither of them had any say in the matter. As soon as Derek and Lexie had agreed the 'plan' had been put in motion.

**Now you're bigger than life but you've never been free **

A/N: Two more stories to update now :( Sorry for the shortness!


	3. Birthday

**A/N: Wow. Sorry for the lack of updates! This is gonna be set after 7.14, but Lexie has moved in with Mark and Amber has the attic room. Lexie is also OPEN to the idea of Mark/Callie baby... Reasons to be revealed later. Going to try (and I mean TRY) to upload with the episodes and follow S7 for now :)  
Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

Meredith had to admit; this was a first. Amber was awake before her – and it was 4am in the morning. "Amber? Wha-" A cup of coffee was handed to her. Meredith smiled. Sometimes having an equally addictited-to-coffee sixteen year old around the house had its bonuses. "Thanks. You realise its 4am right?" Amber nodded and flashed a too-wide smile. "What's wrong?"

Amber shook her head. "Nothing is wrong, just couldn't sleep." She lied. It was partially true – she could sleep. Just not that day.

"Really?" Amber nodded again, continuing to clean up the kitchen. It was a mess – Lexie had stayed overnight the day before and the three of them had stayed in the kitchen and ate whatever crap they could find. They hadn't asked or talked, just laughed about nothing the whole night. She was pretty sure Alex nearly had a heart attack when he walked down the stairs (after checking Ambers room and finding her bed completely made – which couldn't be right) and found the three of them lying in a heap-like position on the floor. He'd laughed after he realised they were breathing and started making coffee.

"Why wouldn't I be fine Meredith?" It sounded too fake. It reminded Meredith of Alex.

"Because you sound like Alex does when something is wrong and he refuses to talk about it." Amber stopped cleaning then, and turned around to look at Meredith. Sometimes, she hated how close Meredith and Alex were, because Meredith could read her just as easily as she could read Alex, if not better.

"Today is Aaron's birthday." Amber paused. "I mean, shouldn't be stressing over it, but... He's my brother, and even if he's not... all there, still miss him." Meredith nodded.

"He'll know, when he's better, he will know that you wanted to be with him.

**A/N: Short! I know, but the next chapter _will _include Alex!**


	4. The Game

A.N: This chapter may as well be a drabble thing, it's that short. Based on episode 7.15. AU: Mark and Lexie are together and Jackson asks someone else to go with him. Thank you to everyone that has reviewed, alerted, and added this to your favorites. I might update again this week as well:D  
Disclaimer: Own nothing:)

"Alex, are you sure you can't stay and help?" Meredith asked her friend, a pleading tone in her voice. She regretted taking over the ER, as she had no idea at the time how hard it would be.

"I can't, I've got to get these medical records sorted, and then the game."

"The game?" Cristina asked.

Alex smirked, looking through a few files. "Told a patient he didn't have cancer, he was so happy he gave me two floor seats."

"You took a gift from a patient?" Meredith questioned.

"Did you cure his cancer?" Cristina asked sarcastically. Her pager beeped and she left the two of them.

"I had too, for Amber."

"Amber hates sport unless it's her running." Meredith replied, raising her eyebrows.

"But she does love her brother." Alex smirked.

"You just nearly gave up taking your sister out for her."

"You said it yourself; Amber hates sports. She'd rather locked in her room, listening to that god awful crap she calls music." Meredith smirked at this; Amber did have a tendency to hide in her room for hours on end listening to rock music at much too high a volume.

"But you like her?" Meredith asked, meaning their 'new Addison'.

Alex just smiled and walked away..

Amber smiled knowingly at the text. '_Got held up with a patient. Can't go tonight, sorry' –_ she knew he had the day off though, and had only been called in for paperwork. It was that she loved about her brother, the fact that he'd give up something to help a little kid (there was no doubt in her mind that he was performing surgery on a kid). She smiled again and pressed play on her CD player (she was one of those people who still owned and used one), singing along as Linkin Park came on.

A/N: Yikes. Not much to work with during this episode, but I tried my best:) Hope you liked it!


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